A MAN has pleaded not guilty to murdering Bradford taxi driver Mohammed Basharat 19 years ago.

Ricardo Linton, 45, denied the charge when he appeared at Leeds Crown Court this morning on a video link to Wakefield Prison.

He is accused of murdering Mr Basharat, 33, of Leylands Lane, Heaton, in Bradford on October 20, 2001.

Linton, of no fixed address, will be tried at Bradford Crown Court on June 21 next year, probably by a High Court Judge.

He appeared before Bradford and Keighley magistrates last month and then at Bradford Crown Court on a video link to Leeds Prison.

Today, Judge Tom Bayliss QC confirmed the date for the trial and said it would last up to five weeks.

He told Linton, who wore spectacles and a round-necked grey sweatshirt, that he had the right to give evidence and call witnesses on his behalf.

The defence statement must be handed in by December 15.

Richard Wright QC represented the Crown at the plea and trial preparation hearing, with Rachel Darby on behalf of Linton.

Mr Basharat was killed at the offices of Little Horton Taxis, in Park Lane, Little Horton, Bradford.

In December, 2011, the Telegraph & Argus reported that the father of four died when he was shot twice in the head by a lone gunman who burst into the minicab office.